Anything could happen
by whoyouarexo
Summary: Brooke/Clay. Best friends in college, but outside of the college bubble, they cant seem to function. Brookes a struggling designer, Clays in a deadend job with his dad, and the two cant seem to make ends meet..can anything change? R & R appreciated! XX
1. stubborn minds

hey everyone, happy new year! was floating around the OTH forums and now im feeling writing a new fiction. Its going to be a Brooke/Clay, set in the transition from college to real life, everything about the backstory will be explained as the chapters progress. Not sure whether to go canon with Haley/Nathan and Peyton/Lucas so let me know what the consensus is on that front! This first chapters going to be more building their relationship but im going to introduce more of the other characters as I go along. Reviews and ideas appreciated!

xxx

* * *

Brooke woke up. Another day, another hangover, and by the looks of it another one night stand. College was ending soon and the last few nights could be described as a "bender"

She looked to her side and swore. Nathan. Nathan? Really? Nathan as in "her best friend had a giant crush on him" Nathan. And she'd slept with him. She quickly rolled out of bed and in the kitchen, if she could make a quick escape then maybe Nathan would forget..

"Brooke Davis you dog!" came a male voice, and Brooke didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Her best friend Clay lived with Nathan. Of course he was here

"Clay, shush!" Brooke said, and Clay stepped towards her and laughed, pouring himself some coffee

"So, Nathan again huh? Is this gonna be a weekly thing, because, y'know, my best friend and my best friend..little bit creepy.."

Brooke rolled her eyes "oh shut up you know it wasn't meant to happen..its the end of college im allowed to be carefree a little longer..". Clay chuckled a little and sighed at his computer

"College most definately is almost over.." Clay said, looking at Brooke

"Your dad hammering you again?" she asked. Clay nodded

"College was only ever gonna be a 4 year way to avoid joining his stupid business. But in short, yeah, an email per day has increased to an email per hour..". His dad was a wealthy man who owned a big manufacturing company. Both of Clays brothers had joined up, but Clay didn't want to, he tried to put a hold on things. He wanted to run his own sports agency.

"It doesn't have to be.." Brooke said, softly

"Yes, let me say no and then be completely cut off with absolutely nothing" Clay laughed softly and closed his eyes "come on Brooke..get in the real world" he said, tapping her shoulder

"I am in the real world" Brooke said, smirking slightly

"And if you don't want to be wearing your breakfast, i'd suggest not telling Haley about your latest dalliance with Nathan.." he chuckled, leaving the room. Brooke laughed

"Shut up you ass!" she said, jokingly

She was kind of ok. She had a plan .She had a clothing line that she had spent 4 years honing her skills for, she had bought a shop in Tree Hill,and she was going to open it a month after she left college...that was a scary thought. What if she grew apart from her friends, became like Victoria? Living each day just for herself, not caring about anyone else.

* * *

6 months later..

Brooke sighed, she was stuck in the shop, on her own, it was completely dead, and everything was changing. Haley was on a music tour, Peyton was doing an apprenticeship for a record label, Nathan was in training for basketball, Luke had written a successful book. Everybody apart from her and Clay seemed to be where they wanted to be. Clay was snowed under with a 60 hour a week job, that he absolutely despised, and she was running what seemed to be a very unsuccessful shop.

She felt like such a loser, she went to college to hone her skills but now there was absolutely nothing she could do, she had had one sale for the whole morning.

She suddenly heard the door open, and Clay walked in, bags under his eyes and holding a coffee

"Hows the shop?" he asked, smiling and giving her a hug

"Sorry, my best friend may be along soon.." she teased, and he sighed

"I know ive been a bit crappy lately, ive been snowed under at that damn office!" he shook his head. "I had to pretend I was coming down with a bug to get this break.."

"Why are you still working there Clay?" Brooke asked, taking her coffee warily

"Because I cant do anything else"

"You can branch out" Brooke said "so you wouldn't have all the money but you would be happy"

"Its not as easy as that Brooke, you know its not" he sighed

"Ive done it" Brooke responded, quickly

"And look how well thats done you" Clay muttered, under his breath

"What?" Brooke sharply wheeled around, folding her arms across her chest and frowning

"Look Brooke..im sorry" Clay sighed, squeezing his eyes shut "ive been stressed lately.." he started

"Are you serious? Dont backtrack just say what you really think! I'd rather have a quiet shop then be spending hours lining daddys pocket at minimum wage!" she shouted, Clay sighed again

"Look, you know what Brooke I really don't have time for this right now. I need stability in my life, thats it" he said, picking up his briefcase

"Oh, another dig..just say what you think Clay! You think growing up with two controlling parents is better then being alone? Well I think differently.." Brooke shouted, her voice turning hoarse

"Of course you think differently nothings right unless its the Brooke Davis way!" Clay shouted back

"At least I know how to stand on my own two feet! Your parents put you through high school, college, and now your stuck in a crappy job WITH YOUR PARENTS!" Brooke shouted

"Well at least my business isn't going to be joining the recession statistics in the next year!" Clay shouted, he slammed his coffee cup down, he knew he had gone too far, he knew he couldn't go back

"At least im not going to be joining the suicide statistics in the next year!" Brooke screamed back, thrusting her coffee cup into his hand. She sighed, she had gone way too far. She knew it wasn't really his fault..

"Clay.." she started, stepping towards him

"Don't even look at me" Clay stepped back "you know, if I didn't see you again, that would be just fine" he said slowly, retying his tie

"Thats it, throw 10 years of friendship down the drain because your too scared to see whats right in front of your face.." Brooke snarled, determined to have the last word

"Maybe i'll just do that, because between your texts and speeches through the last weeks, your just as bad as my dad! And at least I care about my friends, instead of just hammering them to do the thing thats less stressful for you. Your selfish Brooke Davis." Clay said in a low tone, storming out the shop, feeling even more annoyed. He had gone in there for a catch up, one catch up and now he had lost the only person that had been on his side.

His dad was controlling. He did hate it. But what choice did he have? He couldn't start over, his savings were controlled by his parents, his bank account was controlled by his parents, his flat was on his parents estate, his carpool was arranged by them. His email account was even linked onto their domain. The only thing he paid was his cell phone bill and he only had just started doing that.

Brooke sighed and sat behind the desk, one hand in her hair. She hated arguing with her friends, but he had started it. He gave as good as he got. Just like Peyton did over Lucas, and just like her mum constantly did when she was trying to interfere. Clay knew how much her business meant to her yet he just dragged it through the mud, he wouldn't know hard graft if it hit him in the face. She had built that business herself,the designs, the sketches, the whole layout of the store, everything was crafted by her. She wasn't selfish, she just had to do a bit more to keep up her lifestyle. Clay had everything handed to him, unlike her.

* * *

Clay scowled as he got back into the office. He barely looked at the reception as he used his swipe key to get back in. He didn't even wave an hello.

"Clayton! Your late!" shouted his dad, Clay sighed, he was really not in the mood for this right now. He didn't respond

"Clayton.." his dad started again, straightening his tie

"Its Clay" he growled, running a hand through his hair as his dad stood in front of him

"Oh come on son, you look like you've crawled out of a bush hungover, this is a big opportunity for you!" his dad sighed. His dad cared about appearance big time. His suit would never be creased, he had people to shine his shoes, and his hair was always cut to perfection,

"You also need to sort out those frown lines, they aren't going to bide well on the conference meetings. I'll get you an appointment with my nurse.." he started

"Dad I do not need botox!" Clay sighed, wide eyed, scowling again. Him and Brooke used to joke about that sort of thing, was his dad seriously suggesting botox..botox?!

"I told you, its Mr Evans here. And with that scowling, your going to need more then one appointment every few months" he said, tapping a few things into his blackberry, not looking at Clay

"Pointless" Clay replied, raising his brow "everybody here knows your my dad. And everybody probably thinks im a bit of a loser for working for 5 dollars an hour for my own family.." he finished, sighing and storming into his office cubicle. He hated how he didn't even have his own base. He had two other people 5 inches to either side of him, tapping away on their computers, staring into the screen, like complete robots. He hated it. He wanted to do something with his life, he wanted to work with big names and help people reach the dream.

He suddenly got a text from Nathan, and opened it, putting his mircophone on for when calls started to come through. It had to be "service with a smile" today.. he read the text. "calling your office phone now, pick up"

The phone suddenly rang, loudly

"Hello, Evans Enterprise, how may I help?" Clay asked into the phone, trying to fathom some sort of happiness

"You sound seriously douchey man" Nathan responded, and Clay sighed

"Not you too.." he started

"Woah, cool it man I was just kidding. Whats up?" Nathan asked,

"Nothing, nothing, whats up with you?" Clay asked, leaning forwards slightly, checking a couple of emails on his computer. Apparently he was scheduled in for even more overtime. Great

"Your degree was in sports agency right?" Nathan asked, quickly. By the sounds of it Clay was pretty tetchy already

"Sometimes I forget, but yeah" Clay said, a soft smile reaching the corners of his mouth

"Right, so my agent said he wants to agree this deal with the bobcats right now, but I don't know man, it just seems a bit of a quickfire"

"Get him to discuss the options then, don't let him agree the first one, thats the easy way out. You could be worth way more.." Clay said, rolling his eyes. Nobody had any personalities anymore, they were just money sharks.

"I wish you would just leave that crappy job and be my agent" Nathan sighed

"If only" Clay sighed himself, throwing a pen across the room in frustration

"Are you ok man? You sound even more pissed off then you usually do in that place?" Nathan asked, a little confused.

"I had a big fight with Brooke earlier, code red" Clay softly answered

"Ah, code red? Really man, didn't you learn from the last time you pissed her off and ended up wearing the dinner she made us. Both of us?" Nathan asked, chuckling a little

"She was just saying all this stuff about me branching out and I just..well look man, I don't need someone to tell me im messing up my life, I already know. Look being a sports agent would be great but college was only ever gonna be a stopgap to delay this job. and thank god I did.." Clay said, blowing a bubble in the water he was drinking

"No offence man but-" Nathan started, but Clay immediately cut in

"Don't say shes right ok..its not as easy as everyones saying. Im an Evans, both my brothers work here, I cant just decide to be different". Nathan frowned

"You remember my dad right Clay?"

"Who can forget Dan Scott?" he answered, and he heard Nathan chuckle from the other end

"Remember when he was pressurizing me, trying to make me into him? Remember when I was taking drugs to try and beat his records? Look man I know you don't wanna hear it but if you carry on doing what your doing at the moment your gonna kill yourself. Listen to Brooke" Nathan said. Clay scrunched up his features. Thats the most concerned he had heard Nathan sound in years

"Are you sleeping with Brooke again or something, have you teamed up?" Clay answered back, a smirk on his face

"Joke all you want man but sort it out. All you do these days is snap at anyone who says the truth, just like I did. You have more then one option" Nathan said, again, sounding uncharacteristically deep

"Save the deep chat for chicks at a club, Nate. I don't need any help" Clay said, in a deadpan voice, and hanging up the call.

Nathan sighed, Brooke was sitting next to him. She went straight to Nathan. She didn't want to directly help Clay, but she figured if she did it through Nathan, then maybe he could get through to him.

"I tried Brooke" Nathan said, sighing

"I know. Hes being an ass" Brooke shrugged, and walked off. She had a life to attend to, unlike some, she paid her own bills. And her bills weren't going to be paid at this rate..


	2. the world comes crumbling down

Hey guys, thanks for following! Sorry for the lack of updates, new computer now and no school, no excuse haha! Reviews would mean the world, so keep them coming! my updates will be way more frequent now! And the more chapters I do, the more characters this one will be around. Thank you kindly x

* * *

Clay sat at the dinner table, fuming still at Brooke and Nathan, days later and he hadn't contacted either. He hadn't even turned his phone on. He didn't care anymore, he was just going to make money and secure himself, and life could wait. For as long as he had known, they were his best friends, his other family, and now they had turned on him, he thought he knew them. He thought that they were his security.

His mum came down and sat next to him, his dad was working late, and Clay had only just managed to get out before he got lynched for even more overtime. Surely it was illegal, he worked dusk until dawn, he had no breaks, he was running himself into the ground. Maybe Brooke was right? He wasn't going to tell her that thought

His mum, Shelley, was different. She was his rock, the only person who really understood and helped him. She was the one who encouraged him to do what he wanted, to go to college, to not follow his dads footsteps. But his dad was a control freak, she was afraid of him. Everyone was afraid of him.

"Clay, don't fight with your friends" She said, putting a tea in front of him and stroking his head lightly. She knew about everything, she read him like a book. Because they were so similar

"Mum, you don't understand" Clay sighed, stirring his tea and looking at her wistfully, his hair flat across his forehead

Shelley put her hand on his shoulder "I'm married to your father clay, I know exactly what its like"

"Its not about him"

"Clay, it always is. He doesn't approve of friends, he doesn't approve of a lifestyle that doesn't revolve around that stupid company"

"Then why stay with him mum? Why not pack up, take me and Jay somewhere else, start fresh, leave him with his company?" he asked. He always wondered why Jay had got the free pass. Why he had managed to escape to Australia without a trace, yet he was the one who had to continue using this stupid family name, in the stupid family company, which he didn't even like

"You don't think ive tried that Clay? Your dad is obsessed with power, Jay left, but me and you are still fighting against that Clay, except you don't have to"

"What is this mum? An intervention?"

"Clay im just telling you that Brooke and Nathan, they both care, really care. Pushing them out and focusing on the company is going to kill you. You can get out clay, its too late for me but your young, you have friends that are willing to stick around to help you, you can quit that job, you can fall in love and enjoy your life. But your not going to do that at your fathers company, with him controlling you" Shelley said, looking deadly serious, her arms crossed. Her eyes had dark, concentrated circles under them.

"Mum?" Clay asked, watching her

"Don't be afraid to let people in Clay, don't let it get to the point where its too late"

"Mum where is this all coming from?"

"its just something I need you to know, ok? Ive gotta go out now, but don't wait up" Shelley said, looking at her son, leaving Clay sat in silence.

_Flashback- high school_

_Clay and Brooke sat in Clays kitchen,_

_"Evans, your tea tastes like ass" cackled Brooke_

_"Make it yourself then" Clay laughed throwing a teabag at her face, causing her to squeal and laugh_

_"You got that on my outfit!" she laughed, pelting him with tea bags_

_"Stop" came a loud, sudden voice. Clays dad stood in the doorway, frowning_

_"Didn't know this household was a nursery" he scowled, pouring himself a to go coffee and leaving. Shelley sat on the stairs, watching, with a glass of what everybody thought was water_

_"right, lets get out of here" Clay said, his mood ruined, stomping out, slamming the door behind him, Brooke chased him out, this was way too familiar_

_"don't let him get you Clay, your better then that" Brooke said, putting a hand on his shoulder_

_"I know Davis. Sorry for taking it out on you, sorry for always taking it out on you. Its just..dads an ass, my mums drinking vodka and passing it as water, and if I don't get into college then ive gotta have that life too…" he said, running a hand through his hair and looking at brooke._

_Her life was the opposite, she had a free ride to do what she wanted, she could go to college, develop her clothing line, then open a shop._

_"Clay, you don't have to do anything. You have me, Nathan, Haley, Luke, Peyton. We are all going to look after you, you don't have to rely on him for a second" Brooke put her arm round him_

_Clay put his head on her shoulder_

_"I never want to lose you as a friend Brooke, promise me that even if things get really bad, we'll never lose eachother"_

_"I promise Clay. Now, come on, ive got a cheer routine and a fair to organize and its not gonna do itself!" she grinned, wheeling around and bouncing away_

_"I guess that was a hint that you need some help with the financial side of things?" Clay grinned_

_"How did you guess?" she laughed, and they walked into school together. It was funny, but school seemed to be the one place where the two of them felt safe._

Brooke was behind the counter at Clothes over bros, walking around, tapping each hanger, finding something to try and repair, but it wouldn't take her mind off of things. It had been a week, that was the longest either her or Nathan had gone not talking to clay. He was her best friend.

He was the one who was there during the Peyton and Luke saga, both times. She remember the prom incident

_**Flashback**_

_Brooke appeared in Clays window, the way she always had. Clay had a downstairs room, and Clays dad hated guests. It was the way it had always been_

_She tapped on the window, she had just been round Peytons, arguing with her, fighting with her. She didn't get it. Peyton had won, Peyton had Lucas, Peyton had good grades, Peyton had at least one stable parent who loved her, Peyton had the boy. Luke had loved her from the start_

_Clay let her in_

_"hey davis whats with the face?" he asked, concerned, looking at her bruise, and the red tear marks around her eyes_

_"peyton hates me" Brooke announced, shortly. folding her arms. She hated what she had done with Nathan, she hated that it painted her in such a hideous light. She hated that Peyton hated her_

_"Chase dumped me" she continued, sniffling a little. She hated letting her guard down aswell, but Clay was the one guy who was always able to combat that one_

_"am I just going to be alone? Am I that much of a mess that nobody wants to stick around?" Brooke asked, quietly. Feeling almost as vunerable as she did the day she fell for Luke. She didn't break down to anyone. She was the strong one, she didn't draw, she didn't put her emotions into anything. She just spent her days looking after her friends, then she returned to her empty house_

_Clay had already started edging towards her, shaking his head_

_"Brooke, your not even on the right planet if you think that. Peytons upset, that's all, its just happened for her. And lets be honest, she cant act like the saint for that long. And look, if chase cant see you for you, hes not the guy for you ok?" he said, putting his hands around her waist and pulling her into a tense hug, willing her to just let go and let him comfort her_

_she put her head on his shoulder, trying to keep calm_

_"it's the day of prom, I have a black eye, no date, no friends who respect me, and a limo ride there that's gonna be just me, because I got my best friend expelled!" she said, her voice quivering quietly, her sniffs becoming more audible. She was losing control, and quickly. She tried to edge away from Clay, knowing that she was going to break down soon enough_

_"Clay let me go" she said, sadly, but Clay held on_

_"you don't have to be the wrong one all the time Brooke, let me help" he responded, pulling her in. she stopped fighting, and started crying. Her body shook with loud, painful sobs, like every single emotion and person in her life was hurting her all over again. Luke, Peyton, Chase, Victoria, her father, everybody who was gossiping so viciously about her and Nathan_

_"now Davis, heres the plan. Your gonna go home, dry your eyes and go make yourself look beautiful"_

_"whats the point, nobody at prom is even going to wanna look at me" she sighed, the sob fest forgotten. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Clay almost desperately, hoping that he would say something_

_"and im going to pick you up at 8 in the limo, ok?" he said, giving her a small, dimpled smile_

_"huh?" brooke asked, not processing it. She laughed a little_

_"Clay you don't have to take me, I know you wanted your dance with Rach"_

_"I want to see my best friend happy, and I want to let you have a prom to remember. So that's what we are doing ok?" Clay said, softly, putting an arm around her shoulders and leaning his head against hers._

Brooke stared sadly at the ceiling. She knew she had gone too far, she knew Clay hadn't meant any of it, he was practically a puppet for his control freak of a dad, but she had done exactly what he had wanted. She had pushed him away, so he didn't have to have any of it on his conscience

The bell rang on the door, and Brooke wheeled around, hopefully to help a customer. Instead she saw Shelley, looking thinner and unhappier then ever

"Brooke" Shelley said, a small nod exchanged between them. She knew. She knew Brooke was fighting with her son. She hated it. She hated the fact that yet another element of her sons life was being diminished by that man. She just wanted to make it stop, to make the world stop hurting the son she loved so desperately.

"Mrs Evans, I know I shouldn't be fighting with Clay" she started, waving a hand as if it was a white flag

"That's not what im here to talk about Brooke, its not my business" Shelley replied, calmly, sitting down on one of the chairs by the changing room, looking even smaller as she sat down, her willowy frame suddenly looking even more gaunt and undernourished

"Brooke, I need a favour, and I really hate to ask.." she started, wringing her hands together nervously, her pale features more accentuated as she sat in the light

"Anything?" Brooke said, sitting opposite Shelley, and taking in how terrible she looked. She had black circles under her eyes, she looked gaunt, the light behind her eyes was no longer present. She was a shell. She had been rapidly losing weight, losing sight of what was important, losing sight of what a life without Carl, her husband would be. She didn't know what it would be, she could never find out..

"look after him" shelley said, shaking as she said it, wringing her hands even more, looking anywhere but Brookes eyes. Her cobalt blue eyes meeting Brookes hazel ones.

"What do you mean?" Brooke answered, leaning closer, trying to think of something to say or do that was going to calm down the woman in front of her, who had started to shake even more, as if a cold wind would knock her to the floor

"im going away for a while, and I need to know that Clay isn't going to become his father" she said, shaking a little bit more, a dry tear straying down her cheek, one which she didn't try and gulp away.

"I need him to know what its like to live, to love, and to not be in that mans shadow. Brooke, he is so desperately unhappy at the moment" Shelley sniffled, opening a bottle of water from her bag and taking a long gulp. It wasn't water. it was more sinister then that. but Brooke needed to think it was water, the purpose of this visit wasn't to get Brooke to worry for her. She just wanted to know someone was going to be there for her son.

"how so?" Brooke asked, leaning forwards, concerned

"he goes to work, comes home, eats a little, goes to bed, then repeats it. Hes lost the life behind his eyes, Brooke, he works about 12 hours a day, he doesn't even get a day off anymore, and when he does he just spends it locked up doing god knows what. Look, I was always in the shadow of Clays father, but its not too late for him, he doesn't need to be. Promise me you'll look out for him? Please?" Shelley fought back tears, she was trying to act cool, but Brooke was staring into her eyes, and she knew how much courage it was taking Shelley to say these things, and how much she truly did care. Brooke and Shelley always talked about Clay, their worries for him, their worries that he was being worn down by his father. But not like this. Something was different. The tone was different. The level of worry was different.

"of course I will" Brooke said, quietly. A rasp in her voice that was only there when she was feeling emotion, when she was feeling lost, helpless. She didn't know what she could do, the man who had once saved her was in a position where he, more then anyone needed saving

Shelley suddenly pulled Brooke into a tight hug, Brooke smelt the dainty perfume, the powder on her face, the apple shampoo that she always used

"I know you will, that's why I asked. You're the best thing that's ever happened to him" she said, holding Brooke close with both arms

"fix him" she said, slowly and quietly, and Brooke nodded into her shoulder, figuring that this was what both women needed right now. Shelley then looked at Brooke, with a small smile, and left.

She was so graceful, so small. She always smelt of the same perfume, for Brooke it felt like home. Shelley had always been like a mother to her, and she knew that she was the only person in Clays family that kept his head above the water. He also had a brother, but his brother had moved to Australia. He had known how controlling Carl, Clays dad was. He got out while he could.

She sat behind the counter, thinking of the conversation she had just had with Shelley. it seemed oddly formal, it seemed final, Shelley looked like she was giving up on everything, everyone, on her life.

Brooke suddenly remembered things, things that she didn't want to. Things she had blocked out, for her sake and for Clays

_Going to school with Clay, and seeing Shelley on the stairs with a glass of wine, at 9am_

_When they left with Carl in the car for prom, Shelley going upstairs with paracetamol, more then one serving_

_Shelley taking a short holiday, which Brooke had always thought was rehab_

_Shelley taking a swig from her bottle of water just now, and grimacing.. _

Every single image flashed through her head one by one, as if she was taking multiple photos. Shelley had asked Brooke to _fix _Clay. She had said it was too late for her and not to him

What did she mean by too late? Was their hug too long, too final? She pondered for an hour, she tried to distract herself by doing some designs for the new line, but she couldn't focus on anything. The shapes were too samey, the colours were last season, the lengths were all wrong. She could barely piece together her mannequinn, let alone a whole new collection. She could barely piece herself together.

She thought about the frail woman who hours ago had been sitting in her store. Shelley Evans. the woman who used to hold such a bright light in her life. She used to be like the morning son, she used to have round cheeks, a gorgeous smile, blonde, long, thick, wavy hair. But now she was gaunt, she was frail, she looked like an old woman. Her grey roots were coming through, stress making them much more obvious. She had worry lines on her forehead, she shook like a leaf as she spoke. Clay wouldn't notice, Clay couldn't even look after himself. This was upto her. What if the visit was a cry for help?

Brooke picked up her phone and called Shelley, she was worried. Shelley was unstable. Straight to voicemail.

_She called again_

Voicemail

_She called again_

Phone number not available

_She called again_

A dialling tone

Brooke suddenly saw where this was all headed

"_Shit" _she muttered to herself, quickly running out the shop, grabbing her keys, and hailing the nearest taxi.


	3. centre of attention

Hello all, thank you so much for the follows and the reviews! new chapter up, a little bit heavy, hopefully ive done some justice! xxx

Keep reviewing with your thoughts and ideas,

* * *

Brooke ran to her car, trying to ignore the horrible feeling in her head. It had al suddenly clicked to her, how unhappy Shelley was, the tears around her eyes, the dark circles. The way she pleaded with Brooke to look after Clay, as if she wasn't going to be around.

She said she had to go away. What did she mean by that, did she mean permanently? Why was her phone switched off, she never had her phone off, none of their family did. Ever. this in itself was odd.

Brooke shakily put her phone in a dock and speed dialled Nathan, he was the only person who could help her. Clay hated her, his brother was in Australia and the other brother was probably off his face somewhere in New York with his crazy drugged up girlfriend

"Brooke, im in practice" she heard him whine

"have you heard from shelley?" she asked, worried. Maybe she had called round to visit Nathan too, he was just as important to Clay as she was. Maybe more. They were like brothers

"she text me saying look after Clay yesterday or something" Nathan replied, casually

"did she _sound_ ok?" Brooke asked, speeding through a red light and shutting her eyes for a little bit, almost in disbelief that she had survived

"it was a_ text,_ Brooke" Nathan said, dully, he chuckled a bit

"whats this then, you cant look after clay so your trying to look after his mum?" he asked, and brooke rolled her eyes

"ill call you later nate" she said, panic evident in her tone. She shut off the call. She didn't know whether to call clay, where to drive, where shelley could even of gone. she didnt know anything, and that scared the hell out of her.

* * *

She decided her best bet was to go to the house. Clay was never there, his dad was never there, maybe she had just got a bottle of wine to relax or something? She tried to kid herself, it was the only way she could keep driving without getting the shakes.

She casually jogged to the front door, not wanting the neighbours to be suspicious. In tree hill, it was a small place. Everything that anyone did, was usually reported later on.

She knocked on the door, her code knock. Her and clay had made it up when they had just started high school

_"ok brooke, we need a code, you see, there are gonna be a lot of girls swinging by here.." he started, raising an eyebrow with a slight laugh_

_she cackled back_

_"you think your house is going to become the playboy mansion with your dad under the roof?" _

_"true…ok we still need a code though because codes are pretty cool" clay replied, leaning back and letting his head meet the pillow, groaning_

_"heavy night?" asked an amused brooke_

_"you would of known if you weren't doing the bump and grind with Nate" he grinned, cockily, welcoming the pillow Brooke had just thrown at him_

_"to answer your question, once I lost my two best friends, it was just me and the drinks table.." he said, feigning sadness_

_"and Rachel" he grinned_

_"oh god Rachel? Have you got yourself checked out?" brooke said, in disgust_

_"jealous are we?"_

_"of her fat ass, no" she snapped back, and he laughed_

_"girls. Im never gonna figure you women out"_

_"if you set your sights on girls as transparent as Rachel you might be in luck" she snorted, and Clay shook his head_

_"you laugh, but id take Rachel anyday over the emotional baggage of your best friend" he said, raising his brows_

_"at least Peyton isn't a whore"_

_"there is that..anyway your off topic missus, code" Clay said, keeping the pillow over his head_

_"4 knocks ok?" he suddenly said_

_"What?" brooke asked, her own eyebrow raised_

_"it says 'hello, its brooke''"_

_"I hope to god girls never start trying to figure you out"_

_"let them try Davis, let em try.."_

* * *

Brooke tapped the four knocks, hoping that Clay wasn't in. she was half hoping just to try and break in through his window, but then she heard footsteps coming from down the stairs, and Clays bright blue eyes were suddenly glaring into hers, unwelcoming

"Brooke" he said, shortly

"Clay- i."

"_forget_ it" he said, coldly, standing in front of the door, stopping her from coming in

"what?" she asked, trying to look in. Shelley's car was there…

"whatever you've got to say, forget it. Ive got two staff training days to run, a conference in the city, and normal shifts on top of that, I don't have time for your insults or your_ girl drama_"

Brooke bit back tears, and instead came back with a retort. She never wanted to fight, but he had his barriers up and she decided to respond by doing the same

"well you'll be happy to know I didn't come to see you"

"_you_ used the code"

"thought _you_ didn't care" she accused

"I don't"

"well im here to see your mum, is she in?"

"nope" clay said, coldly again, his eyes looking anywhere but her

"well, sorry to waste your time, **_Mr Carl Evans_**, I know nothing is more important then work. You better get back to it" she said, sharply, her eyes narrowing and looking at Clays. He even looked taken aback by that, angry, he sighed. Calling him by his fathers name. She knew what buttons to push.

"well at least this time next year ill have an income. Maybe your shop will make some good offices. You know where I am if you need a good deal on it" he said, cruelly, taking a sip of something and wincing a little, before turning around

"enjoy the vodka" Brooke said, biting her tongue. She wanted to say more, but she couldn't. he was being a complete and utter ass but she could see how much he was hurting, the way he was jibing at her, drinking in the afternoon, not letting anyone in. he was a mix of his mother and his father already, and not the good traits.

She wished the conversation had gone differently. She didn't want to stand in her best friends driveway trading insults with him. She didn't want a slanging match, she just wanted to fix her best friend and fix his mum and she wanted everyone to be happy. Why was that so hard?

She turned around one more time. Pissed at what he had said about her company, he knew how hard she had worked, he knew her heart was in that company and he just insulted it

"you know what **Evans**, im gonna design a kick ass line, people are gonna be beating down my door, and you know what, your stupid underpaid little office will not be ANY damn better" she said, a low rasp coming out of her tone, something that only ever happened when she was really angry or affected by something. Clay knew it too, he closed his eyes as he turned again

* * *

"you do that **Davis**" he muttered, quietly, before going back to his house. It was so much easier when nobody cared. He could carry on as normal, go to work, eat, sleep, wash, make money. That's all he was functioning to do. Not even Nate had called him lately, he had probably sided with Brooke. That's what everyone did. Nobody would ever side with him, they would take the easy way out and say he was _"too much like his father"_

They would claim that they were worried, upset for him, they wanted to look out for him. What a load of bullcrap.

He didn't want to hurt Brooke, but he didn't want her chasing after him all the time either. He knew he wasn't in the best place but he was suriving, he wasn't hurt. He didn't need his friends acting like he was on suicide watch because he was working some extra hours, everybody had done it. He was earning money for a dream. Once he had earned enough, he could potentially start his own agency, move out, get a flat.

He needed those 70 hour weeks, those random flights into LA, the conferences, training the new starters. He was getting every penny he could find because the faster that was done, the faster he could desert his dad and get his life back.

But by the looks of things, that was gonna take a long time, years maybe. He was not going to drag people through that, he had to do it alone.

He sat back and chugged down a beer as he edited a spreadsheet. The business was consistent. That could be his life. Consistent. Unhappy but everything was there, all the fundamentals.

He looked at his phones wallpaper, of him Nathan and Brooke, and tried his best to focus on his work. He had been so nasty to her, he had put her down just like everybody else did, without a care showing in his face.

He hated himself. Everyone. He wanted to talk to his mother. She was the only one who got this, the only one who could solve everything with just a hot chocolate and a hug. He could imagine her words now, the words she said to him this morning ringing around his head like an alarm bell

"_don't be like him, its not too late for you"_. What did she mean by that? Its not too late for him? Who was she saying it was too late for, his dad, her?

He rang his mum, suddenly missing her, suddenly needing her, craving her attention. He was the only mummys boy in the house, and he had barely seen her lately. She made him sandwiches and put them in the fridge for his lunches, she made him have some fruit when he got in. she tutted at the dark circles under his eyes. He heard her always arguing with his father, trying to get his hours reduced, to no avail. He hadn't let her in though, his guard was well and truly up. But he didn't want it to be anymore. He didn't want to be that guy

The jackass who didn't talk to his mum, who dumped his best friends, who became the 'bad guy' in Brooke Davis' life. He didn't want to be that guy. It wasn't too late for him.

Shelley didn't answer

Clay left a message

_"Mum. I know it's late, and you might be out with your friends or doing bingo with whoever or doing some sort of crazy fitness group, but come back. **Please**. I know ive been different lately but I need you to come home"_

_"mum, its 2am, im not sure what your doing, where you are, but you never stay out without saying anything..just call ok?"_

_"mum, im starting to sound like a stalker now and considering the history of them in tree hill that's not good. Just let me know your safe, if you cant get home then call me, even if your halfway across the border ill drive over and get you..**please**"_

_"mum, im sorry this is the last message but I could just really use your advice right now.."_

_"ok so im making hot chocolates for miss shelley evans…but shes not here.._"

Clay got out his iphone, then went on the "find my iphone" app, locating his mother. He double took at the name of the motel. It was a little sleazy, it was just outside tree hill. It looked like something that two people went too after a nightclub as a last resort.

He had work tomorrow, but he suddenly found he didn't care. He got his car keys. Just like he always did when he was troubled when he was younger, he was going to see his mum.

* * *

"Nathan it is_ FOUR AM OR ARE YOU IN FRANCE_?" shouted Brooke. She had finally fallen into an uneasy sleep, then suddenly, her phones ringing. She ignores it. It rings once again, the raven black hair of the caller ID flashing again and again. He had been talking to her recently, he knew how hurt she was by her and Clay falling out, he also knew that she was panicking about COB to the point where she couldn't sleep, so he also should know NOT to disturb her when she was

"Brooke you need to get down the motel" Nathan said, his voice thick, completely ignoring her outburst, her shouts. The way she had ignored his whinging earlier. He sounded morose, alone, hurting.

"whats happened?" she asked, her eyes wide, flying out of bed and shoving on the nearest robe. It had to be serious, Nathan didn't even like talking on the phone, let alone doing emotional chats

"I laughed you off when you asked if clays mum was alright.." he said, more to himself than to Brooke, it was a regretful tone he said this in, this scared Brooke. He was talking in the past tense

"right" Brooke said, reminding him she was still there

"shes dead" Nathan said, taking a deep shuddering breath

"what?" Brooke gulped back tears, sitting back down, her legs had collapsed, she was shaking, she couldn't process it. It couldn't be, Shelley was in COB earlier, talking to her, hugging her, drinking water with her;

"its all over the news, it was an overdose". Apparently someone was worried she didn't come home so they tracked her on their phone and found her.." Nathan suddenly stopped. He didn't want to actually say it. His own mother had attempted this. An overdose.

"I went to the motel to see if Clay was there. No sign" he continued, he didn't want to go near saying that word again

"oh god" Brooke said, a tear rolling down her cheek. Shaking. Then she realized there was only one person in the house. She remembered the name that Nathan had just mentioned. The one name that was now going through her head at 50 miles an hour, the person she was now seriously worried for. Clay.

"Nathan, the "person" who found her wasn't just _any_ person" she said, tears now trickling down her cheeks

"what?" he replied, his own voice wavering a little, he didn't know what she meant, he didn't know what any of this meant. Everything was fine, Shelley was always fine, she was bubbly, she laughed at Nathan and Clays boyish behavior, she nursed their hangovers, she always had a room for Nathan when Dan was being an ass, even if it was on Christmas day;

"I went round earlier. The only car outside was Clays. The only person who answered was Clay..i asked him where his mum was"

"oh my god"

"Nathan is she really-"

"Shes _gone_"

Brooke choked back a sob

"I'll be there as soon as ok, im leaving now" she sniffed, tieing her hair on top of her head and putting some shoes on, in complete disbelief.

_Shelley was dead. Clay had found her. Brooke had been too late, and Nathan had found out his near enough second mother had died by watching the news._

Suddenly they were far away from the _"good old college days…"_


End file.
